Apparatus for regenerating steam.



R. H. STEVENS. APPARATUS FOR REGENERATING STEAM. APPLICATION FILEDFEILS, 1910. 1,0 1,573, Patented May13, 1913.

I INVENTOR JWf/M WITNE SES.

RICHARD H. STEVENS, 0F MUNHALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR REG-ENERA'I'IN G STEAM Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1913.

Application filed February 5, 1910. Serial No. 542,253.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD H. STEVENS, ofMunhall, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Apparatus for Regenerating Steam, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being badto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich-- Figure l is a sectional elevation of apparatus constructed andarranged in accordaiu'e with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan ofthe same on their-regular line li it of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to the regeneration of SlQttll'l and the object ofthe invention is to provide an improved apparatus for etl'ecting theexchange of heat between a body of steam and of water whereby anintermittent supply of high pressure steam is utilized to provide acontinuous supply of low pressure steam and a body of water is employedto storc'the heat of the high pressure steam when the supply of highpressure steam exceeds the demand of low pressure steam, and

to :lurnish the heat necessary to supply a constant supply of lowpressure steam when the dei'nand exceeds the supply of low pressuresteam.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus bywhich the steam and water are caused to circulate within the regeneratorand the steam passing into and thro ugh the regenerator is brought intointimate contact with the water contained in the regenerator.

In the drawings, 2 represents a regencrator chamber having an inlet pipe3 by which steam is led into the regenerator from the exhaust of a steamengine or other source of steam, and 4 is an outlet pipe through whichsteam is led from the regcaicrator 2 to a turbine or other "ow pres surepower unit in which the regenerated steam is utilized.

As shown in the drawings, the steam inlet 3 is connected with the upperend of a cylindrical compartment 5 located in the. interior of theregenerator 2 and having an open lower end. The compartment 5 issurrounded by an annular chamber (5 which has closed upper and lowerends. The wall of the chamber 6 adjacent to the lower end of the chamberis provided with a series of small openings 7 by which water or otherfluid can pass into or out of the chamber before being put into thechamber 2 into the chamber 6, in order to restore the levels of thewat'erin the two chambers.

At the upper end of the partition t'orming the compartnumt 6 is a seriesof branch outlet openings 8 by which communication is a tl'orded betweenthe compartment 6 and the sin'roinuling regencrator chamb at a heightabove the level of the water main tained in the regmierator chamber 2.The chamber 22 is divided by a cylindrical or tubu lar partition 9 intotwo compartments and, the lower end ot the wall 9 is provided with anannular water trough 10 having a multiplicity of small holes or openings10 in its bot om through which water is kept eonstantly flowing in alarge number of small streams. The inner compartment formed by thepartition wall 9 in the regenerator chamber 2 is connected by theextension 11 with the outlet pipe 4, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

13 reprcsents'the overflow pipe by which the body of water maintained ata predetel-mined level in the chamber 2, and 14 is a water inletpipe by'which water is supplied to the regenerator, the supply being controlledby the valve It. A relief the 15 is provided on the upper end 0f theconnection leading from the inlet pipe 3 to the inner chamber 5 of theregcnerator by which the pressure in the chamber 2 is relieved whenexcetaling a. predetermined amount.

in using apparatus like that shown in the drawings, the regenerator issupplied with a body oi" water, which is prel'erably heated The reliefvalve 15 is then closed and steam is supplied to the regenorat'm'throughthe inlet pipe 2' The incoming steam passes from the pipe S intothe enlarged clnunber and causes the water in the chamber 6 to rise andflow through the outlets 9 into the annular spraying trough It). Thesteam also passes downwiu'dly through the pipe 5 and upwardly throughthe chamber (3 formed by the cmlcenlric walls of the chambers 5 and 6and then passes outwardly through the branch pipe 8 into the regcne'ator 2, as is indicated by the arrows. The steam, on its entry into thechamber 2, passes over the surface of the water in the annular trough 10and is directed and caused to pass under this trough and through thelarge number of small streams o'l water whlch are flowing through fromthe perforations 10* in the bottom of the trough l0 and then passesupwardly through the annular passage 4 formed between thewalls of thechamber 6 of the water and the steam is rendered substantially equal inthe chamber 2. When the steam required by thelow pressure unit connectedto the outlet pipe 4 of the regenerator exceeds the supply, the heatedwater in the chamber 2 will vaporize and will give up in'the form ofsteam enough steam to form a substantially constant supply."

By the use of my-lmprovedapparatus the fluid is broken up into amultiplicity of fine streams and, owing to the large surface of thefluid brought into contact withv the steam, causes a very intimatemixture of the two, which results in the sought for increase in theinterchange of heat.

Modifications in thepconstruction and arrangement of the apparatus maybe made without departing from my invention.

I claim 1 v 1. A steam regenerator comprising a vessel to contain a heatstoring fluid having a fluid overflow outlet and having a partitionseparating the vessel into steam-receivingand steam-regeneratingchambers, said par tition having openings connecting the chambers belowthe level of the overflow outlet, a steam inlet opening into thereceiving chamber, a steam outlet opening out of the regeneratingchamber, depending partitions within the chambers terminating above theoverflow outlet and forming separate compartments within the chambers, apassage directly connecting the chambers, and a troughin one compartmentof the regenerating. chamber having a perforated bottom, said troughbeing positioned above the level of the overflow outlet to receive fluiddischarged from said passages and, spray theoutgoing steam therewith.

2. A steam regenerator comprising a vesse'l to contain a heat storingfluid having :fluid overflow-outlet and having a partition separatingthe vessel into an inner steamreceiving and outer steam-regeneratingchambers," said partition having openings connecting the chambers belowthe level of the overflow outlet, a steam inlet opening into thereceiving chamber, a steam outlet opening out of the regeneratingchamber, depending partitions within the chambers terminating above'theoverflow outlet and forming separate compartments Within the chambers,at least one passage directly con neat-ing the outer compartments ofsaid positioned above the level of the overflow outlet to receive fluiddischarged from said passages and therewith. I 1 3. A steam regeneratorcomprising a .vesselto contain a'heat storing fluid having a fluidoverflow outlet and having apartition separating the vessel into aninner steam-receiving and outer steam-regenerating 'cham bers, saidpartition having openings connecting the chambers below the level of theoverflow outlet, a steam inlet'opening into. the receiving chamber, .arelief valve. on said inner steam-receiving chamber, asteam outspray theoutgoing steam let opening outot the regenerating chain--- ber,depending partitions within the chambers terminating above the overflowoutlet and forming separate compartmentsv within the chambers, passagesdirectly connecting the-outer compartments of said chambers, and atrough in the regenerating chamber having'a perforated bottom, saidtrough be-:

ing positioned above the level of the overflow outlet to receive fluiddischarged from 'said passages with.

4:. A steam regenerator comprising a vessel to contain a heat storingfluid having a fluid overflow outlet and having a partition separatingthe Vessel into annular steam-receiving and steam-regenerating chambers,said partition having openings connecting the chambers bEiLOW the levelof the overflow outlet, a steam inlet opening into the receivingchamber, a steam outlet opening out of the regenerating chamber,depending partitions withinthe chambers. terminating above the overflowoutlet and forming separate annular compartments within the chambers,atleast one passage directly connecting the outer annular compartmentsof said chainbers, and a trough in one compartment of the regeneratingchamber having a perforated bottom, and secured on the lower end of thedepending partition in position to receive fluid discharged. from saidpassages and spray the outgoing steam therewith.

5. A steam regenerator comprising a vessel to contain aheat storingfluid, a partition extending upwardly within said vessel and spray theoutgoing steam therefrom the bottom thereof and having a closed w upperend to'rming an inner steam-receiving and an outer steam-regeneratingchamber, a partition dependin'gfrom the closed upper end of thesteam-receiving chamber forming separate steam-receiving and dischargecompartments therein, a partition depending from the. top I of the steamregenerating chamber forming inner and outer compartments within thesteam-regenerating chain her and having a trough on the'bottom thereof,thebottomof said trough having a series of, perforations therein, anoverflow outlet on the vessel for the heatstoring fluid, the dependingpartition in the regenerating chamber terminating above the level ofsaid overflow outlet, a plurality of openings in the partition formingthe steam-receiving and regenerating compartments connecting saidcompartments below the level of the overflow outlet, a passageconnecting the outer compartment in the steam receiving chamber with theouter compartment in the regenerating chamber, a steam inlet c(.nneoting into the inner compartment of the steamreceivsteanrregenerating chamber, a partition depending from the closedupper end of the steam receiving chamber forming an innersteam-receiving and a discharge compartment therein, a cylindricalpartition depend ing from the top of the steam-regenerating chamberforming annular inner and outer steanrregenerating compartments therein,an annular trough 0n the'bottom of said depending partition having aperforatedbottom, an overflow outlet on the vessel, the dependingpartition in the regenerating chambcr terminating above the level of theoverflow outlet, a series of openings in the partition forming thesteam-receiving and steam-regenerating chambers connecting said chamberbelow the level of the overflow outlet, a plurality of passagesconnecting the outer annular compartment in the steam-receiving chamberwith the outer annular compartment in the steaiii-regenerating chamberabove the level of said overflow outlet, a steam inlet connectiug intothe top of the inner compartment in the steam receiving chamber, and asteanroutlet connecting out of the inner compartment in thesteam-regenerating chamber. a

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD H. STEVENS.

Witnesses:

W. H. Comnrrr, CHAS. E. Naronnn.

(epics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Patents. Washington, I). C. i

